Door and the like



Jan. 29 1924.

' 1,481,847 E. H. MGCLOUD 7 DOOR AND THE ;LIKE

M Qtboweq arr 0; F i if EDWARD H. McCLOUD, or COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, "ro THE KINNEAR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or COLUMBUS, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

Application filed November 8, 1918.

To all whom it may concern a citizen of the United States residing at Columbus, in the county of ranklin and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Doorsand the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a door of the variety that is lifted and then deflected at its upper end outward from the door open ing onto a horizontal track or support for that end. When such a door is heavy it is common to attach an operating cord or chain provided with a counter-weight, to the lower end of the door so as to facilitate its operation. But when the upper end of such a door is deflected onto the support approximately one half the load of the door is transferred to the support and the lifting force thereby relieved by that much. Hence in counter-weighting such a door the counter weighting and operating force should, in the interest of smooth and easy operation, be varied or made less when a portion of the load of the door is transferred to the support and greater when the load of the door is more largely supported by the counterbalancing means. The special object of the present invention is a simplified and economical means whereby the movement of the counter-balancing weights in such a struc-- ture is lessened.

lhe invention is embodied in the example herein shown and described and then finally claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of the door equipped with the invention.

' Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line HH Fig. 1,.looking down.

Fig. 3 1s a vertical section on the line III-III Fig. 1 looking to the right and showing the door in closed position.

i Fig. 4 is a similar vertical section showing? the door partially raised and deflected. ig. 5 is a detail of an equalizer forthose operating chains that are connected directly with the door.

noon ANDLTHE LIKE.

Serial No. 261,602.

line at right angles to the line from which.

Fig. 6 is viewed.

Fig. 9 is a top plan view on a larger scale of a gear mechanism for operating the door.

In the views 10 designates the door which may be paneled or plain as may be desired.

Projecting from the two lower corners of the door are trunnions or stud shafts 11 containing rollers 12, the latter traveling in channels 13 erected at opposite sides of the doorway.

At the two upper corners of the door are rollers 14 suitably journaled to project laterally beyond the door. Mounted near the top of the door are brackets 15 having short curved channels 16 into which the rollers 1% project and travel'when the door is raised and lowered. 17 are horizontal tracks placed to form continuations of the lower walls of the two curved-channels 16. Connected with the stud shafts 11 of the lower rollers are chains 18 and 19 passed over pulleys 20 and 21 and connectedto anequalizer bar 22. Connected to said equalizer bar 22 is one end of a single chain 23, said chain having its other end connected with a bracket 24 so as to leave a loop of the chain hanging between said equalizer bar and the bracket. In said loop is carried the main or constant counterbalancing Weight 25. In practice said weight 25 is substantially equal to the weight of the door but by reason of its suspension in the loop of the chain 23 said weight exerts only half its gravity on the door. To supplement said weight when the door is in its closed or nearly closed position I provide a weight 25 equal to substantially half the weight of the door or With connections to exert on the door a force equal to that Weight. For that purpose I secure to the shaft on which are mounted the pulleys 20 and 21 (also afiixed to said shaft) a drum 36 to which the chain or cord 37 hearing said weight 25 is attached. WVhen the door is raised and its upper end so far deflected as to be supported on the track 17 half the weight of the door is borne by the track and the other half by its suspending members and the attachment of the flexible member 37 carrying the weight 25* is such that at the moment when the door is so raised and deflected the weight 25 is lowered to the floor or other suitable support and the draft on the door relieved by that much. The loop of the flexible member 23 is made only of such length that the action of half its weight exerted on the door is constant and in all positions of the door. Hence it follows that when the door is so raised and the weight 25 is lowered to rest on the floor and deprived of its action on the door only half the wei ht 25 is exerted on the door, that being a-lFthat is necessary to adequately counterbalance the door in its raised and deflected-position. In this'instance it will be observed that a total of only one and a half times the weightof the door is employed in varying the counterbalancing forces in the shifting of half the weight of the door to and from the support 17. In effect, therefore, when half the load of the door is first transferred to the track 17 by raisin the door the counterbalancing effect is reduced by a corresponding amount and reversely when that load is taken from the track it is counterbalanced by the addition of the weight 25 to half the weight 25. In the diagrammatic views k \V, 1 W and 1% W indicate the. relative weights and stress of the door and weights in the respective positions and OW indicates zero stress or weight acting on the door when the weight 25 is lowered to the floor. The actual gravity of weights employed may be different from that described, as for example, when special gearing is employed in raising and lowering the door. Such a gearing is shown in Fig. 9. In this gear mechanism the pinion 40 is pinned to the shaft 34 of the sprocket wheel 33 and said inion meshes with gear 39 which has a pinion 39 cast therewith or affixed thereto. Said gear 39 and its pinion 39" turn loose on shaft 35. The pinion 39 engages gear 41 having'a pinion 41 integral therewith or aflixedthereto which is loose on shaft 34: and pinion 4'1 engages gear 38 fixed on shaft 35 so that the shaft 35 carrying ulleys 21, fixed on shaft 35, is driven by shaft 34; throu h the reducing train of gears and pinions escribed. The two pulleys 21 supmsrem porting the chains 18 and 19' and with them the drum 36, are turned to raise and lower the door by means of an endless chain 32 engaging the wheel 33 fixed on a shaft 34:.

The invention may be useful in the construction and operation of windows or artitions and bythe term doors I inc ude such analogous structures.

The forms of the parts can be changed without departing vention as claimed.

What I claim is 1. In combination with a door, means for raising the same and deflecting it at its upper end when raised, means upon which a portion of the weight of the door is supported when so deflected, counterbalancing means for said door including a main weight, and

a supplemental weight of smaller gravity than the main Weight, flexible means through which the supplemental weight acts on the door, flexible means connected with the door and a fixed point and provided with. a hanging loop supporting therein said main weight and a support for the supplemental weight when the door is in deflected position.

2. In combination with a door means for deflecting it at its upper end when raised, means upon which a portion of the weight of the door is supported when so deflected, counterbalancing means for said door including, a main weight, and a supplemental weight of smaller gravity than the main weight, flexible means throu h which the supplemental weight acts on t e door, flexible means connected with the door and a fixed point and provided with a hanging.

EDWARD H. MoCLOUD.

from the gist of the in- 

